


Sleeper

by BlackMajjicDuchess



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Apocalypse, Character Death, Cynicism, Espionage, F/M, Murder, Romance, Tragic Romance, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMajjicDuchess/pseuds/BlackMajjicDuchess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of his greatest success, Rin reveals herself to Obito. Oneshot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeper

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on fanfiction.net under the same pen name February 2014.

Obito looked down as the war raged below him. From this vantage point he could see everything. His statue monster was tearing ninja to shreds. Tens of thousands had been killed already, chewed up by the machines of war. The battlefields were thick with crows and scavengers, and the stench was so strong that he caught whiffs of it even from this height and distance. The land was drenched in death, and from it would be reborn. Pathetic, he thought, that they would fight the inevitable so hard. Didn't they understand? When he remade the world, no one would have to feel the pain or hatred. No one would have to die. Everyone could go on believing that the world had always been a happy place, would always be a happy place.

The only person in the entire world that would know the truth of its misery was him. Rin… even now, he remembered every detail of her face. His Sharingan would never let him forget the minute details. Like a cruel camera, he could recall the tiny dimples when she smiled, the glitter in her brown eyes, and the way that she positively radiated love with every step.

Yes, if Rin were still in the world, he might be able to believe a world like this could be saved. She should have been the Hokage. She was born for that. She would always be there with a smile and a reassuring word where the heart ailed, or she'd be there with her backpack and her med kit if the body were in pain. If more people were like Rin, there'd be no need for the Moon's Eye Plan. Rin and people like Rin could heal the hatred of the world.

He sighed, feeling the weight of loneliness as Shinobi everywhere fought to protect the ones that they loved from him. Funny how he'd become the most feared man in all the world, even more fearsome than Madara himself. Him, the loser who was always outshone by his teammate… the same teammate that Rin fancied herself to be in love with. Bitterness left a sour taste in his mouth.

A soft, shaky feminine voice sounded behind him. "Is it true?" He didn't bother to turn around. He had nothing to fear from a woman alone. More importantly, how had he allowed anyone to sneak up on him like that?! He didn't have time for this. "Is it true what they say? You're Obito Uchiha?" He didn't bother to answer. He drew a knife beneath his cloak, preparing to kill her. He heard the scuff of a boot heel as she took a stride forward, her voice gaining intensity. "I said, 'is it true?' Well?"

"It won't matter soon," he said quietly. "You and everyone else in this wretched world won't remember a thing." He turned his entire body around to face her and pulled his mask aside. The mark upon her brow marked her an ANBU from his home village. He could waste time wondering why she cared, but he didn't. He waited, silently daring her to attack him.

She didn't. Instead, she, too, tore her mask off, and Obito inhaled so sharply that he hissed. Surprise of all surprises…! "…Rin?!" He choked. "How? It's impossible! You're dead!" Her face was exactly the same… purple rectangles and all. She was older… they all were, but still the same. Perfect, in every way.

"I'm just as dead as you are, Obito," she breathed, her eyes still wide with disbelief. "How did you survive? You were crushed! I saw you!"

Obito couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was a vision in the failing sunlight. He was sure much of her innocence was lost, but she was still hauntingly beautiful. Although her face already carried lines of worry, she still had those tiny little dimples. "Madara found me," he replied without elaboration. The details didn't matter. "What about you?"

Rin had always been much more of a talker than he was. "Kakashi would never have wanted me, and I thought I had nothing to live for, so I joined ANBU as an ANBU-only medic. At the time, I thought perhaps they could benefit from my skills. Their missions were so dangerous, I thought I could help!" She huffed out a laugh, humorless. "I was so stupid back then. Anyway, there was this mission that came up. It was long term. Very long term."

"What kind of mission?" he asked.

"A Sleeper mission." Her haunted eyes begged him not to ask any more of the details. He understood. Sleepers were spies that were meant to be left alone for a long time, usually many years. They were to remain inconspicuous until the opportune moment that their skills were needed. They were often used to slowly gain trust from the most suspicious prey before striking swiftly and effectively and disappearing. It wouldn't do to have anyone asking questions about where she'd disappeared off to, or to have unwanted consequences like Kakashi or Minato running off to save her from a situation she'd put herself in… which meant that the ramifications of the mission would have made them want to. It made a sick kind of sense… everyone believed her dead. It must have all been crafted for her own safety. She rushed to continue. "Anyway, it's over and done with now, Obito. The unification of the ninja forces negate the need for a spy. I received my orders this morning to deactivate and return home." She paused, licked her lips. "Did you… really do all of this?" Her eyes were accusing, wanting it to be untrue.

For the first time, he did actually feel regret, but… "I did this for you, Rin," he answered dumbly. Her eyes widening even further told him everything he needed to know. He never expected her to love him anyway. Nothing had changed. "When I learned of your death."

She took a step toward him, her hand reaching out. Wanting to comfort him, no doubt, to tell him the world was still a beautiful place and that he need not fear. Something in his expression must have cautioned her, though. She froze, and her hand dropped to the side. In her expression was pity, and pain. Neither of them really had the words. It had been far too long. They hardly knew each other anymore.

Rin… if you had only known how badly I ached for you… I needed you.

"Obito, we can go home now. The both of us. Together." Her smile was serene and inviting. She was reaching for him again.

Together, she said. Did she mean…? "I loved you," he stated. It was the first time he had ever outright told her. Better late than never, but soon it would no longer matter.

She nodded and took another step closer. His skin prickled with anticipation. She was close and growing closer. How he had once longed to hold her, to smell her hair, to kiss her, touch her… love her. Magnetism drew him towards her, and their fingers entwined. They cast their masks to the ground. They'd both been hiding long enough. It was time to be honest with one another. "I'm sorry," she murmured, drawing nearer. She slipped one arm around his waist and peered up into his eyes, so much stranger than they used to be. "I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially you." Her other hand ghosted along his jawline, tracing the lines of his face. They hadn't seen each other in too long. How odd he must look to her now!

He didn't move a muscle. She was like a deer, curiously touching his face to make sure he was real. If he moved, she might recoil or flee. Or perhaps this was all just an illusion, and if he moved the magic would be dispelled. His feelings were numbed; his life had changed him. He waited for the aching, searing love he had once felt for her to resurface; he had loved her, more fiercely than any boy his age could have loved a girl, and he would have done anything to ensure that the happy smile she readily wore was a permanent accessory to her face.

"I didn't love you then, Obito, but I'm so happy you're alive. We could… try again, if you like?" It was an invitation, and it sounded real to his ears. Her smile was gentle, begging to be kissed. But her eyes…

His body moved on its own. He moved slowly so as not to frighten her, hands rising to her shoulders. He slid his fingers up her neck and gripped her head firmly but gently between his palms. She smiled, face brimming with trust, and shut her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her full lips. It was the softest contact he had ever had with another human being; soft, and vibrant, and full of promises. There was a time when he was certain that this kiss would have made him feel alive.

His hands drifted lower, feather-light, to her elegant, flawless neck… and closed. He felt her whole body stiffen, but he did not move, nor relent. Her hands flew to grip his wrists and try to wrest him off of her. She squeaked and tried to push away from him, but his iron grip pressed harder, crushing her throat between two merciless hands. He bit down on her closed lips, denying her an attempt to suck in breath or protest. She flailed and writhed, trying to twist out of his grip, but in doing so only made her lips bloody. Her legs kicked, trying to catch him in the groin and make him drop her, but they were feeble attempts and barely registered.

He was a man of singular purpose, a bloodhound with a scent, and he would not be swayed. His hands clenched mercilessly, and he watched with mute fascination as panic replaced surprise, desperation replaced panic. Her pulse was pounding against his thumb, frantically trying to reach her brain, but her eyes were already rolling. Another handful of moments and she would be dead. She had walked willingly into a deadly trap, and his body was the cage. Tears streamed down his face; it was a remnant of the old Obito, the one who had loved Rin. Somewhere, deep within his soul, that young man wept for her loss, just as he had rejoiced at seeing her again.

But he was not that little boy. Beneath the façade of tears, his face was impassive. Cold. He dropped her lifeless body to the earth in a crumpled heap and returned to his crow's nest over the world as if she had never interrupted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, young Obito's rekindled hope was snuffed anew. For him, she had died twice. They were both of one mind now. The only way to go back was to press forward.

He was only more determined that his Plan should succeed now than he had been before she had showed up. Rin… when I have remade the world, only then we can try again. He glanced to where she lay on the ground, eyes bulged and staring. Eyes that, only moments before, had been empty of emotion. Her hands, her voice, her lips, and her words had told him everything he had yearned to hear… but her eyes had told him the tale that he had already believed for years.

She truly had been dead.

**Author's Note:**

> I never did believe that Rin was dead. Even knowing what I know, I'm not convinced.


End file.
